So you know that bringing lunch to work is less expensive than eating out, but have you ever wondered–maybe while browsing the lunchmeat aisle or deli counter at the grocery store–how much it really saves you?
Len Penzo’s 2nd Annual Survey of the 10 Most Economical Sandwiches is just the kind of thing I love to find. He had the same question, and he did all the work for us. Surprisingly, the most economical sandwich in his survey turned out to be salami–I would have guessed peanut butter and jelly. His calculations bring it in at 25 cents per sandwich. But Len’s idea of a salami or bologna sandwich is pretty plain. I used Len’s numbers to come up with the cost of a bologna sandwich made the way I would like to have it:
You can see that at $1.05, this is still pretty economical. If I added chips and a few carrots sticks, I’m guessing it would still be cheaper, and a lot healthier, than the typical fast-food value meal.
Of course, some of the restaurant deals that have passed through Wichita on the Cheap give brown-bag lunches a run for their money. And sometimes it’s worth spending a few extra cents, if you have it to spend, to enjoy the convenience of eating out once in a while. But lunches made at home with love are hard to beat, and are still the cheaper option.
